To the outsider, an expert seems as if they are doing everything effortlessly. A master chess player, an expert golfer, and a prolific writer seem to be able to quickly home in on what needs to be done and execute flawlessly over and over again. How do we master new skills? How do our brains and bodies transform performance from novice to expert? In Mastery, Arturo E. Hernandez shows that new skills are not built but rather bloom from the combination and recombination of small parts that come to represent a new whole.
The process by which smaller things are blended over and over again is one that is not just restricted to high-level experts. Uniting the latest research findings from a cross section of disciplines and case studies with compelling storytelling, Mastery shows readers how the blooming of abilities can work in their favor and lead them to achieve much more than they thought was possible. Whether mastering a new language, learning to play a musical instrument, improving your tennis serve, or sharpening your memory, Hernandez teaches readers how to take advantage of our adaptability and open our minds to their fullest potential. Rather than hyperfocus and overspecialization, moving our focus from rigid perfection to a form of flexible adaptation can lead to unexpected improvement. This approach to skill sheds light on how to better harness our talents so that we can accomplish things that are seemingly out of reach.
For anyone looking to learn a new skill, teach someone else to do the same, or to better understand how our brains evolve and excel, this fascinating tour of cognition will reveal the path to surprising potential.

lgrsnf/Mastery - ARTURO E. HERNANDEZ.pdf

Hernandez, Arturo E.

Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Incorporated

Globe Pequot

United States, United States of America

Half Title
Title
Copyright
Contents
Preface
Chapter 1 The Right Kind of Practice
Chapter 2 Case Study: The Dan Plan and Becoming an Expert as an Adult
Chapter 3 Emergence in Human Life
Chapter 4 Case Study: The Tennis Serve as an Emergent Function
Chapter 5 Childhood, Adolescence, and the Importance of Starting Small
Chapter 6 Case Study: Tom Byer and the Art of Small Ball
Chapter 7 Faces, Reading, and the Road to New Skills
Chapter 8 Case Study: How Jane and Gavin Use Motion to Recognize the Unrecognizable
Chapter 9 The Long Road to Adult Language Acquisition
Chapter 10 Case Study: How Cricket Made Ash Barty a Better Tennis Player
Chapter 11 A Gene Rarely Does Its Work Alone
Chapter 12 Case Study: Shuangjie and Esther and Bob and Mike: Identical Is Never Identical
Chapter 13 Our Two Selves
Chapter 14 Case Study: Tom Brady, James Flynn, and Our Changing Environment
Chapter 15 Evolution, Revolution, and the Path to Skill Development
Chapter 16 Final Case Study: The Teachings of Don Memo, an Emergentist’s Path to Improvement
Conclusion: Five Principles of Mastery
Bibliography

2024-12-06